Despite frigid temperatures and steady snow squalls that swept through Shelbyville, Indiana, USATF Colorado athletes delivered a series of gritty performances on Saturday at the USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships. Colorado was led by national title performances from Robert Stepanov (Boys 11–12) and Greyson Romero (Boys 9–10), as 12 Colorado athletes earned All-American honors by placing inside the top 25 of their respective age divisions. As temperatures dropped to 16 degrees during the latter half of the meet, Colorado runners embraced the challenging conditions, adding podium finishes and strong team results across the championships.
Colorado was represented in the Boys 7–8 race by Ashton Lederman (Peak Performance Running), who completed the course in 9:22 and finished 114th overall while gaining valuable experience competing on the national stage.
The Girls 7–8 race featured a strong Colorado performance from Diem Romero (Penguins XC Track Club) who earned All-American honors with an eighth-place finish in 8:39. Luna Barela (unattached) missed All-American honors by just .7 seconds as she finished 26th in the division
At last year’s championships, Greyson Romero (Penguins XC Track Club), Diem's older brother, finished eighth in the 9–10 division. This year, he delivered a dramatic leap up the results sheet, moving from eighth to the top of the podium with a convincing victory. Despite competing at the youngest age in the division, Romero stopped the clock at 10:54 to win by 22 seconds over Ean Hernandez of California. Colorado added three more All-American performances in the division, with Rainer Young (Rock Creek Track Club) placing 10th, Collin Romero (Peak Performance Running) finishing 19th, and Eugene Garrow (Peak Performance Running) earning 23rd.
Colorado athletes competed in difficult conditions in the Girls 9–10 race, led by Abigail Kaye, who finished 30th overall. Peak Performance Running athletes Evangeline Schopp (83rd), Juniper Krofta (156th), and Sophie Kirkpatrick (225th) completed the snow-covered course as temperatures continued to fall.
Colorado continued its strong showing in the Boys 11–12 division behind another national title performance, as Robert Stepanov captured first place in 10:24. Two more Colorado athletes earned All-American honors in the race, with Casey Snyder finishing 10th and Asher Chodorowski placing 25th.
The Girls 11–12 division saw Avery Piala (Peak Performance Running) earn All-American honors with a 21st-place finish. She led her team to a seventh-place finish in the team standings, with Etta Smith (58th), Peyton Formanek (75th), Tatum Buxton (102nd), and Zoe Piala (116th) rounding out the scoring for the team.
In the Boys 13–14 division, Teo Trujillo (Rock Creek Track Club) led Colorado’s All-American efforts with a 23rd-place finish. Colorado clubs also posted solid team results, with Front Range Elite finishing 17th overall and Rock Creek Track Club placing 23rd in the team standings.
Colorado closed the championships with a standout showing in the Girls 13–14 race. Jordyn Grossnickle (Front Range Elite) delivered one of the surprise performances of the meet for Colorado, earning All-American honors with a third-place finish. Grossnickle had finished fourth at both the Colorado Championships and the Region 10 Championships, qualifying for nationals in Shelbyville before elevating her performance on the sport’s biggest stage. Ella Schubert (Peak Performance Running) added another All-American finish in 22nd place, while Rock Creek Track Club placed eighth in the team standings - their scorers were Ava Tweedie (65th), Jesse Verhoogen (80th), Sophie Tarry (161st), Emma Seibel (188th), and McKinley Long (230th).
The following USATF Colorado athletes earned All-American honors at the USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships by placing in the top 25 of their respective age divisions:
Greyson Romero — Boys 9–10, 1st (Penguins XC Track Club)
Robert Stepanov — Boys 11–12, 1st (Unattached)
Jordyn Grossnickle — Girls 13–14, 3rd (Front Range Elite)
Diem Romero — Girls 7–8, 8th (Penguins XC Track Club)
Rainer Young — Boys 9–10, 10th (Rock Creek Track Club)
Casey Snyder — Boys 11–12, 10th (Unattached)
Collin Romero — Boys 9–10, 19th (Peak Performance Running)
Avery Piala — Girls 11–12, 21st (Peak Performance Running)
Ella Schubert — Girls 13–14, 22nd (Peak Performance Running)
Eugene Garrow — Boys 9–10, 23rd (Peak Performance Running)
Teo Trujillo — Boys 13–14, 23rd (Rock Creek Track Club)
Asher Chodorowski — Boys 11–12, 25th (Unattached)